HAVE YOU GOT A PLAN?

This week I read about a woman who
has built, and nearly lost, a great business. She launched
it in 1996 with little more than a dream and a few dollars
in her "hobby" account, and quickly built it to almost 17
million dollars a year in sales. Unfortunately, this year
her sales will be about half of what they were last year.
This terrible loss has nothing to do with the "dot-com"
depression or the economy. It has everything to do with
the fact that she never made the shift from doing it all
herself to being the leader and manager of a thriving
business.
Without a plan and an organizational chart, she continues
to be the driving force behind every sale, every decision,
and every innovation. She works horrendous hours,
sometimes even packing and shipping orders herself on the
weekends! Sometimes she micro-manages; at other times she
pulls back so dramatically that instead of delegating, she
abdicates. No wonder her employees are frustrated and her
business is falling apart!
EVERY business needs an organizational chart! EVERY
business, even a child's lemonade stand, needs to know who
squeezes the lemons, who handles sales, and who does the
accounting. Sometimes, in a micro-business, it may all be
done by the same person, but each ROLE is distinct,
separate, and specialized, and this should be recognized
and documented.
EVERY business must know who their best customers are.
EVERY business must have a marketing plan, a budget, and an
R&D team. EVERY business needs a business plan that is
current and reviewed often.